Gary Darling: What do you mean it’s almost 2012 already?

Didn’t 2011 just begin??I?mean, really, I feel like I am on this cruise missile of time and I want to get off.

Gary Darling

Didn’t 2011 just begin??

I?mean, really, I feel like I am on this cruise missile of time and I want to get off.

Wasn’t it only yesterday that my oldest son was born??He turns 4 this year and starts preschool in the fall. How did that happen?

Anyway, another year has come and gone. So what does the future hold for the upcoming year in the geek world?

For one, and I?got into this last week, it is going to be a great year for geek movies.

From "Avengers" to "The Hobbit" to "The Dark Knight Rises," there is going to be a treasure trove of great quality geektastic films.

I am beside myself with excitement over the upcoming movie season.

In the tech world, the landscape will continue to constantly change and it will be exciting to see where and when the next big thing lands.

Will this be the year that the computer heavyweight Apple finally puts out its long awaited iPhone 5 and not just an updated iPhone 4 like it did with the iPhone 4S?

Or will it shock the tablet world with the release of the bigger, stronger iPad 3??Or better yet, a smaller, more affordable 7-inch version.

Also, will this be the year that Microsoft finally puts out its first tablet that implements its new Windows 8 OS?

To be honest, I am intrigued to see where the tablet market goes.

With most people turning to the more affordable Kindle Fire and Barnes &?Noble Nook Tablet, will the prices on the bigger tablets start to drop?

With the iPad, I doubt it. There is just too much of a market for the Apple heavyweight. I just hope that the computer mega-star doesn’t just sit on its laurels now that Steve Jobs has passed on.

Then there is the Google Android Tablets. There has been this constant rumor flying around the internet that there is soon to be a new $99 Android 7-inch tablet in the American market.

Will that happen this year and will that tablet be good enough to really put the stranglehold that Apple has on the tablet market to the test?

Honestly, I really doubt it. Plus for $99, how good could the tablet actually be??I?can also guarantee there won’t be a camera for that price point.

Finally this is the year I?get a new smartphone. Though I have loved my first generation Galaxy S phone, I am really interested in seeing what else the smartphone world has to offer.

Should I?wander back into the iPhone world like everyone else or should I delve into the latest and greatest Galaxy S phone? What about the Windows phone, are those worth the money?

Since this will probably be my next big purchase, I can’t wait to try each one on for size and see which one sticks.

So in closing, it was an exciting 2011, but I?just have a feeling that 2012 is going to be a benchmark year for all geekdom. Hold on tight, it is going to be a wild ride.

Gary Darling is the geekiest employee at the Maryville (Mo.) Daily Forum. His online blog address is justanewdad.blogspot.com and his email is gdarling@maryvilledailyforum.com. Drop him a line sometime!

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